1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a package for an absorbent article, in which an absorbent article such as sanitary napkin, panti-liner or the like is individually packaged.
2. Related Art
Absorbent article such as sanitary napkins, panti-liners or the like are individually packaged with packaging members. When the individually packaged absorbent article is to be used, its packaging member is unsealed and the absorbent article is taken out and worn. At this time, a used absorbent article replaced by the new one can be disposed of while being wrapped in the packaging member thus unsealed for taking out the new one.
When absorbent articles are individually packaged, the packaging member is demanded to have barrier properties so that dust or moisture in the atmosphere at a storage place may not be infiltrated before use through the packaging member to stick to the inside absorbent article. Because of this demand for the barrier properties, most of the packaging members used in the prior art are made of a synthetic resin film.
However, in the case where the packaging member is made of a synthetic resin film, there is a defect that the film causes zipping sound or rustling sound when the package is unsealed, to thereby make the user mentally uncomfortable. Especially since the film is strongly sealed at its edge portions so as to keep cleanliness inside of the package, zipping sound becomes loud when these sealed portions are separated. In addition, the packaging member formed of a synthetic resin film looks poor in softness and does not provide a good appearance.
In the case where the packaging member is formed of a nonwoven fabric, on the other hand, it can provide a soft appearance. Moreover, the nonwoven fabric per se is soft and is effective for suppressing zipping sound at the unsealing time. Since the nonwoven fabric is an aggregate of fibers, however, fine dust in the atmosphere may be infiltrated through the packaging member to stick to the inside absorbent article thereby to cause a hygienic problem.
In addition, the absorbent article such as sanitary napkin is generally provided on its back sheet with pressure-sensitive adhesive layers for adhering to shorts or the like in use, and therefore, the packaging member is provided with release sheets for protecting the pressure-sensitive adhesive layers until use. These release sheets should be firmly adhered and secured onto the packaging member. However, if the nonwoven fabric is formed of fibers opened by a carding process, the fibers on the surface of the nonwoven fabric are liable to fluff. Accordingly, it is difficult to firmly adhere and secure the release sheets onto the packaging member of the nonwoven fabric. For this difficulty, the release sheets may be caused to leave the packaging member by the separating force which is established when the absorbent article is separated from the release sheets.
Further, the ordinary packaging member is provided at its one edge with a tap tape. When the packaging member is folded together with the absorbent article, this tab tape adheres to the outer face of the underlying portion of the packaging member, thereby to complete the package. When the absorbent article after use is to be wrapped in the packaging member, then, the tab tape adheres to the outer face of the packaging member so that the wrapped state can be maintained. However, if the surface of the nonwoven fabric forming the packaging member is liable to fluff, part of fluffed fibers easily drop and stick to the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of the tab tape, thereby to lower the adhesion (or tack) of the tab tape for repetitive use. As a result, when the absorbent article after use is to be wrapped in the packaging member, there arises a problem that the packaging member cannot be reliably maintained in the wrapped state.
Furthermore, since the nonwoven fabric is soft, there also arises a problem that when the absorbent article is separated from the release sheets, the nonwoven fabric is easily folded or curled to unintentionally stick to the pressure-sensitive adhesive layers of the absorbent article. It may then take a time to wear the absorbent article. At this time, if the fluffed fibers on the surface of the nonwoven fabric drop and stick to the pressure-sensitive adhesive layers of the absorbent article, the adhesion (or tack) of these pressure-sensitive adhesive layers is lowered. As a result, the adhesion of the absorbent article to the shorts or the like becomes weak.
The present invention has an object to provide a package which is excellent in barrier properties against dust or moisture and which is soft and reluctant to cause zipping sound at the unsealing time.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a package comprising an absorbent article and a packaging member, the absorbent article including: a back sheet; a liquid-permeable top sheet; and an absorbent layer sandwiched between the back sheet and the top sheet, and being folded and packaged with the packaging member, confronting faces of each side edge region of the packaging member being joined to each other outside of the absorbent article,
wherein the packaging member is formed of a nonwoven fabric composed of thermoplastic fibers, the nonwoven fabric having a plurality of heat-fused portions arranged thereon in a predetermined pattern, the heat-fused portions being formed by pressing and heat-fusing the nonwoven fabric,
wherein the nonwoven fabric has a tensile strength of from 4.5 to 20 N/25 mm in MD and from 4.5 to 15 N/25 mm in CD and has a breathability resistance of at least 0.04 kPa-s/m.
The packaging member according to the first aspect of the invention is formed of the nonwoven fabric so that it causes less zipping or rustling sound when unsealed, especially when the joined portions of the packaging member are separated. Because of the plurality of heat-fused portions, moreover, the breathability resistance can be enhanced to make fine dust in the atmosphere reluctant to enter the inside of the packaging member.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a package comprising an absorbent article and a packaging member, the absorbent article including: a back sheet; a liquid-permeable top sheet; and an absorbent layer sandwiched between the back sheet and the top sheet, and being folded and packaged with the packaging member, confronting faces of each side edge region of the packaging member being joined to each other outside of the absorbent article,
wherein the packaging member includes: an inner face layer confronting the back sheet of the absorbent article; an outer face layer directed outward of the package; and an intermediate layer sandwiched between the inner face layer and the outer face layer, the intermediate layer being formed of a melt-blown nonwoven fabric composed of thermoplastic micro fibers, the inner face layer and the outer face layer being formed of a spun-bonded nonwoven fabric composed of continuous thermoplastic filaments,
wherein the inner face layer, the intermediate layer and the outer face layer are heat-fused to one another.
In the package according to the second aspect of the invention, it is desirable that the packaging member has a breathability resistance of at least 0.04 kPa-s/m. It is also desirable that the packaging member has a plurality of heat-fused portions arranged thereon in a predetermined pattern, and the heat-fused portions are formed by pressing and heat-fusing the inner face layer, the intermediate layer and the outer face layer.
In the packaging member according to the second aspect of the invention, the intermediate layer is formed of the melt-blown nonwoven fabric composed of micro fibers. This melt-blown nonwoven fabric has high barrier properties against fine dust or moisture in the atmosphere because of its high fiber density, so that the absorbent article packaged with the packaging member can be kept clean. Because the packaging member is made of the nonwoven fabrics, moreover, zipping or rustling sound is hardly caused at the unsealing time. By forming the plurality of heat-fused portions, moreover, the breathability resistance can be easily enhanced.
In both the first and second aspects of the invention, the breathability resistance can be easily set to at least 0.04 kPa-s/m, if each heat-fused portion has an area of from 0.07 to 0.28 mm2, and if the area ratio of the heat-fused portions to the packaging member is from 10 to 30%.
Preferably, the water resistance of the packaging member is at least 80 mmH2O according to JIS L-1092 (Method A: a low water pressure method).
Preferably, the bending resistance of the packaging member is from 30 to 70 mm at an average value of MD and CD according to JIS L-1018 (a cantilever method). If the bending resistance is within this range (i.e., if the packaging member has a proper rigidity), the packaging member having a soft appearance can be easily unsealed while retaining its shape.
Preferably, a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is disposed on the back sheet of the absorbent article, and a release sheet, to which the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is to be adhered, is fixed on an inner face of the packaging member, at a portion to confront the back sheet of the absorbent article.
According to the first and second aspects of the invention, the nonwoven fabric forming the packaging member is formed with the plurality of heat-fused portions or the back layer for confronting the absorbent article is formed of the spun-bonded nonwoven fabric composed of continuous fibers. Therefore, the packaging member has such a high surface strength as to prevent dropping of fibers from the surface. Therefore, the release sheet can be firmly adhered and fixed on the inner face of the packaging member, so that the release sheet is hardly separated from the inner face of the packaging member when the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of the absorbent article is peeled off from the release sheet.
Preferably, the bending resistance of the release sheet is from 50 to 120 mm at an average value of MD and CD according to JIS L-1018 (a cantilever method).
Preferably, the packaging member is folded together with the absorbent article to have two portions, one overlying the other, the overlying portion has one end edge of the packaging member which is not directly joined to the underlying portion, a tab tape is fixed on an outer face of the overlying portion of the packaging member, and has a portion protruding from the end edge, and the protruding portion is provided with a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer which is adhered to an outer face of the underlying portion of the packaging member.
More preferably, the region to which the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of the tab tape is adhered, contains the heat-fused portions.
If the outer face layer of the packaging member is formed of the spun-bonded nonwoven fabric and/or if the surface of the packaging member is formed with the plurality of heat-fused portions, the fibers on the surface of the packaging member are prevented from fluffing. Therefore, even after the tab tape is once peeled off, its adhesion (or tack) is not lowered, thereby to enable the repetitive adhesion.